Just As I Thought

First steps

Really, having a heart attack is simply one more reason to buy gadgets.
The first part of my plan to get more exercise is to simply walk — most experts say that 30 minutes of walking every day is plenty of exercise for the average person, and that seems like something that I should have no problem doing. There’s only the question of motivation.
Well, today I found the perfect kind of motivation for an Apple-obsessed gadget junkie like me: the Nike + iPod Sport Kit.

It’s a small transmitter that nestles inside your shoe, and a receiver that connects to your ipod Nano. Coupled with a software update, it tracks your walks and runs while playing your music and providing verbal feedback. When you sync your iPod, it downloads the data and Nike keeps track of your progress via a very cool website. And it’s very cheap: $29. (If you want special Nike shoes with a custom made “pocket” for the transmitter, well, that’s $100.)
I calibrated it this afternoon — according to the maps, four times up and down my street equals 1/4 mile — and I’ll begin my walks tomorrow morning, early when it isn’t 100° outside.
I’m feeling good about this first step — and it is only a first step — and I am hopeful that I can not only stick with it, but that it will lead me more confidently to other forms of exercise, finally overcoming my aversion to it all. We’ll see. One step at a time, as they say. For thirty minutes a day.

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